Salford 23 Leeds Rhinos 8: No winning start for Rohan Smith

LEEDS RHINOS’ new era under Rohan Smith began with a 23-8 defeat at Salford Red Devils yesterday which illustrated the scale of the challenge facing the new coach.

Rhinos went into Smith’s first game on the back of successive wins and some improved performances while Salford had lost all their six games since the victory over Leeds in March which ended Richard Agar’s Headingley reign.

It seemed like the perfect opportunity for Smith to get off to a flier and Leeds to put distance between themselves and the foot of the table.

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But Rhinos came up with their poorest performance since the previous trip to AJ Bell Stadium and Salford were deserved victors.

Leeds Rhinos' Ash Handley scores a try despite the attention of Salford Red Devils' Kallum Watkins. Picture: John Clifton/SWpix.comLeeds Rhinos' Ash Handley scores a try despite the attention of Salford Red Devils' Kallum Watkins. Picture: John Clifton/SWpix.com
Leeds Rhinos' Ash Handley scores a try despite the attention of Salford Red Devils' Kallum Watkins. Picture: John Clifton/SWpix.com

With their next opponents, Wakefield Trinity, losing at Toulouse Olympique, Rhinos dropped only one place – to 10th –in Super League, but the gap over the French side is down to three points.

That makes Friday’s visit of Wakefield a big one for both teams and Rhinos will need a major improvement to get anything from it, despite Trinity’s lack of form.

Smith will have learned plenty about his side, but if he thought he had anything other than an extremely tough job on his hands, he now knows better.

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Effort was not lacking, but once they conceded the opening try, after a relatively solid start, Rhinos were second-best and the scoreline did not flatter Salford.

Rhinos still have some influential players missing, but with Zak Hardaker making his second debut for the club and Richie Myler, David Fusitu’a Zane Tetevano and James Bentley all back in the starting side, it was a much stronger 17 than in recent weeks.

When they are all fit and available, as they were in this game, Salford have an excellent backline and they were too good for Leeds.

With stand-off Brodie Croft calling the shots, Rhinos were split open on either flank for the first two tries, though the third was a scrambled effort from a kick.

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Their ineffectual attack is Rhinos’ main problem and though they managed to get into some good positions, they made far too many errors and when they did hang on to the ball, they were defied by strong goal line defence from the hosts.

Salford went ahead after 10 minutes when Dean Cross’s final pass was finished by Ken Sio; in the set from the restart, Marc Sneyd sent Tim Lafai into space and Joe Burgess was in support to complete back-to-back tries.

Sneyd improved the second and Leeds trailed 10-0 after 13 minutes.

Leeds’s only first-half try reduced the deficit at the end of the opening quarter.

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Sio spilled Croft’s pass near Salford’s line which set up field position for Ash Handley to go over from Rhyse Martin’s offload.

Salford’s third try was a scrappy one, Andy Ackers touching down after Croft’s kick rebounded off a post.

Sneyd’s goal made it 16-4 at the break and though Rhinos looked a bit better in the third-quarter, they were still unable to mount sustained pressure and didn’t ask enough questions of Salford’s defence.

With 13 minutes left, Sneyd landed a drop goal to open a three-score gap and in the set after that Croft created some space and sent Brierley in for a try which Sneyd improved.

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Five minutes from time Ackers was sin-binned for persistent offending and Mikolaj Oledzki went over in the resulting set to give Leeds a consolation score.

Salford Red Devils: Brierley, Sio, Cross, Lafai, Burgess, Croft, Sneyd, Vuniyayawa, Ackers, Ormondroyd, Watkins, Livett, Taylor. Subsitutes: Addy, Escare, Bourouh, Dupree.

Leeds Rhinos: Myler, Fusitu’a, Broadbent, Hardaker, Handley, Austin, Leeming, Oledzki, Dwyer, Tetevano, Bentley, Martin, Smith. Subsitutes: Donaldson, O’Connor, Walters, Thompson.

Referee: James Child (Dewsbury).

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